I enjoyed my d'Anjou Mosaic hopped perry so much that I just had to spend some more time with the d'Anjou pear. So I went back to my pear farmer and got another round of pears, used the same great exotic aromatic yeast but this time used the Sauvignon Blanc of hops: Nelson Sauvin. Extremely difficult to procure, this hop produces aromas of white wine, crushed white grapes, gooseberries and a touch of tangerine.

Our newest hard cider is on store shelves now. And that cider is Hallelujah Hopricot. It’s proving to be a real crowd-pleaser and a great seller. This is the first recipe we’ve made that was developed by a neighbor homebrewer (and recipe genius) Travis Scrivner. When you first pour a glass of it, you’ll notice a robust aroma of equal parts apricot and hops. After trying dried apricots, apricot puree, whole apricots and more, we decided on an apricot juice. And the hops are Amarillo, Cascade and Chinook. We use whole-leaf hops (not pelletized) and “dry hop” the cider by soaking the hops in the finished cider just prior to bottling. The hops we’re using smell and taste citrusy, with grapefruit and lemon and hint of pine. These delicate aromas dissipate over time and if they’re not treated gently so the cider stays cold from the moment the hops are added until you pick it up off the shelf. If you dive deep into the flavors, you might notice more going on. There is a lot of complexity underneath the apricot and hops including multiple yeasts and wit beer spices.